Skip to main content

Featured Post

Review of Executive Lounges at New Delhi Railway Station (NDLS)

During my recent trip to Uttarakhand , I was faced with a problem I had never encountered before. We were passing through Delhi, but we had hardly any time in the city. On earlier visits when I have had to change trains/flights at Delhi, I have always arrived in the morning and left again at night, visiting relatives in between. This time, I was arriving in the city at night, and leaving again early in the morning. There was hardly any time to visit people. I would only have a couple of hours with them before I’d have to leave again. For the first time, we considered booking a hotel, but there again, we were hesitant about the actual hotels, the costs involved, and the logistics of getting from the airport to the railway station and then back again from the station to the airport.  That’s when we remembered reading something about a corporate-managed lounge at Delhi station. We soon figured out that we could book online and pay by the hour. Besides, we also learnt that there wasn’t ju
1 comment

Publications

Print Publications
  • Domus India
    • Sculpting Temple Design (August 2018)
    • The Paintings of the Saspol Caves in Ladakh (October 2018)
    • The Demon's Tears - Water and Worship at Lonar (November 2018)
    • Nalknad Palace (February 2019)
    • Jain Heritage in Tamilandu (March 2019)
    • The Neelkanth Mahadev Temple of Alwar (May 2019)
    • Museum in Transit (June-July 2019)
    • Memory, Museums, and the Mahatma (October 2019)
    • Temples of the Yoginis (December 2019)
    • The Wonders of the Konark Museum (February 2020)
  • Rail Bandhu the official magazine of Indian Railways
  • Complete Wellbeing Magazine
  • Air Asia Magazine
    • Bloggers Diary: Coorg (March 2015)
  • Being Woman Magazine, Vol 2 Issue 9, November 2014
  • Dainik Bhaskar (Hindi Newspaper)
    • Sringeri - 14th April 2015 
    • Gokarna - 24th March 2015
    • Kolkata -10th Feb 2015
    • Tharangambadi - 30th Dec 2014 


  • YES Magazine, published by the Sai Youth of Maharashtra and Goa     
  • The Hindu Traveller, Bangalore
    • On the river at Wayanad -Issue dated 21st July 2013 
    • A Foaming curtain of white - Jog Falls - Issue dated 25th October, 2013
  • More than 30 of my stories - re-tellings of stories from Indian Mythology and Folk Tales, have appeared in  Bal Mukund - a publication of JK Yog. For details, read my posts on the books here.



    Online Publications


    • On The Alternative, an online magazine which strives to make sustainability a way of life


    • On Travel Thru History, a unique travel 'zine dedicated to exploring historical and cultural experiences

    • On Pocket Cultures - an independent site which aims to increase connections, awareness and understanding between different cultures


    • In The Mother, published from Rishikesh, Himalayas

    Guest Posts: 

    Mentions:
    Accolades





    Popular posts from this blog

    Gokarna Part II – The Five Lingams

    We continued our Gokarna trip by visiting four other Shiva temples in the vicinity, all connected to the same story of Gokarna. The story of Gokarna mentions the Mahabaleshwara Lingam as the one brought from Kailas by Ravana, and kept at this place on the ground by Ganesha. (See my earlier post- Gokarna – Pilgrimage and Pleasure). However, the story does not end here. It is believed that, in his anger, Ravana flung aside the materials which covered the lingam- the casket, its lid, the string around the lingam, and the cloth covering it. All these items became lingams as soon as they touched the ground. These four lingams, along with the main Mahabaleshwara lingam are collectively called the ‘ Panchalingams’ . These are: Mahabaleshwara – the main lingam Sajjeshwar – the casket carrying the lingam. This temple is about 35 Kms from Karwar, and is a 2 hour drive from Gokarna. Dhareshwar – the string covering the lingam. This temple is on NH17, about 45 Kms south of Gokarna. Gunavanteshw
    7 comments
    Read more

    The Havelis of Bikaner - A Photo Post

    The lanes are narrow , twisting and turning amidst buildings old and new. Crumbling old structures with intricate workmanship stand side by side with art deco buildings, and more modern constructions, which follow no particular style. Autos, bicycles, motorcycles and vans rush past, blowing their horns as loudly as possible, while cows saunter past peacefully, completely unaffected by the noise. In the midst of all this chaos, children play by the side, and women go about their chores, as we explore these by-lanes of Bikaner, and its beautiful Havelis. Facade of one of the Rampuria Havelis
    9 comments
    Read more

    The Elephanta Caves

    The Elephanta Caves , located on Elephanta Island, or Gharapuri, about 11 Km off the coast of the Gateway of India, Mumbai, are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. A visit to these caves, excavated probably in the 6 th century CE, is awe-inspiring, and also thought-provoking. Over the years, I have visited the caves a number of times, and also attended a number of talks by experts in the fields of art, history and archaeology on the caves. Together, they help me understand these caves, their art, and the people they were created for, just a little bit better. Every new visit, every new talk, every new article I read about the caves, fleshes out the image of what the island and the caves would have been like, at their peak. I last wrote about the caves on this blog, in 2011, almost exactly 11 years ago. Since then, my understanding of the caves has, I would like to think, marginally improved. Hence this attempt to write a new and updated post, trying to bring to life, the caves of Elephan
    12 comments
    Read more